Terra's Story
by Splinter1
Summary: The backstory of Tara Markov AKA Terra. A teenager with a troubled past. What will she reveal to her friends and new family? There will not be much action in this story, some fluff, confessions and probably some angst. It might be a rough ride. Story idea by ArizonaHawk711. New Chapter 5 posted at last!
1. Terra starts to tell her story

**Terra's Story  
**

_October, 2012_

Author's note: Teen Titans are courtesy of DC Comics and Cartoon Network.

Thanks to "Arizonahawk711" for the story idea. Hope the young lady likes this!

***Special note to Terra fans: Normally, I'd stick this at the end of the chapter, but, after I posted the end of Blackfire's revenge, I saw a tweet from Ashley Johnson (TheVulcanSalute) and she **_CONFIRMED THE RETURN OF TERRA!_** As Cyborg would say…"BOOYA!"***

Note: Renamed story to avoid confusion with the series introduction to Terra, as well as a date change

**[Prologue]  
[January 15, 2012]**

_Beast Boy writes…_

_It's been several months since Edward helped free Terra from the stone statue she had become and almost as long since she totally freaked over Slade being alive and well. That was frightening in and of itself. She was so scared at the time that we didn't know what to do to help her. Edward, in his unofficial role as team counselor really helped, just by taking the time to listen to her, and giving her not just verbal support, when the time came to confront Slade, he took a major one for her._

_My feelings towards her certainly haven't changed. Why should they? I knew it was love the first time I laid eyes on her. I was the one that she confided in the most at first. I didn't care that she was sleeping in a "lonely cave of darkness" as Starfire put it. I didn't care that she couldn't control her terrakinetic powers at the time. She was so scared that we'd reject her that it didn't take much for Slade to turn her. Then, after she betrayed us, she redeemed herself._

_It took a long time for my heart to heal. Raven…she's such a sweetheart that while I was coping, she couldn't bring herself to insult me. She understood that my heart was with Terra, but, that she's a dear sister by right._

_Terra, though, still shows that she has issues. But, now, she's ready to talk about them to the team, not just Edward._

**[Chapter 1]  
[Titans Op Center AKA Common Area]**

The team, after their adventure on Tamaran was enjoying the down time for a few days to rest and recover. The Titans East had returned to their base of operations a day after they returned to Earth, each carrying a medal bestowed on them and honorary citizenship as well. Kole stayed longer, though. Edward was starting to think that maybe the youngster might be pondering relocating to the Tower, at least part-time.

David had to return to his normal job in Chicago, so, after spending the night of their return at the Tower, he headed home.

However, it was Terra who held Edward's attention, not in a romantic way, of course, but as a friend. She had actually been happier after they returned from Tamaran and, while Edward had a good idea what was happening with the terrakinetic's emotions and stability, he had been pleased that she was finally allowed to really test her powers and with only her fingernails affected, it meant that Terra had to stay in control, lest the dearly departed Slade's assessment would be true about her being "the most dangerous" person he had met.

Terra had spent most of her young life being forced from one place to another, even from the Titans. Recent events convinced Terra that she had been fully accepted again as well as forgiven. She finally had a home and she was finally ready to tell the team her full story.

Terra had spent a **lot** of time talking to Edward seeing how he was still the most neutral person on the team. And, Terra saw Edward as a person, not a dragon. She knew that she owed her life to the team and that she had been very misguided as well.

Well, today, she asked if she could talk to the entire team after lunch and the team agreed readily to it.

[I think Terra's ready to open up a bit and tell the team her story,] Edward said to Raven.

[I know she's reached a major decision, sweetheart,] she replied, her mental image reflecting a soft smile from the empath.

Edward smiled as well.

"What're you guys smiling about?" Terra asked.

"If you're wanting to do what I think, Tara," Edward said, "I think it's about time. Remember that all of us are here for you and I doubt that anything you tell us will undermine the trust you've worked very hard at restoring."

"It's going to be hard," she admitted. Beast Boy turned her gently and replied, "Sweetheart, remember when you lost control of your powers? I was there for you then, and I'm here now."

The two lovers hugged each other as Edward moved behind the counter to start cooking lunch. He had planned on something relatively light: BLTs for most of the team and the tofu version of bacon for Beast Boy and Arella.

Well, after a while, the sandwiches were ready and quickly eaten, save for Terra. She was nervous as she was about to open up and fill in the major blanks in her life that the Titans needed to know about…why she was prone to stability issues at times.

After the dishes were done by Starfire (it was her day as the dishwasher), the team sat down on the large couch. Robin even muted the alarm system to let Terra tell her story without major interruptions.

Terra sighed. She was more nervous than she thought initially and almost backed out. But, she realized that she was committed.

[She's worried,] Raven assessed via the link.

[I know,] Edward replied.

Aloud, he said, "Tara, it's all right. Take all the time you need."

She smiled at her friend. Just those few words broke through the ice and she held Beast Boy's hand for moral support.

"Well," she said, "I suppose I should start at the beginning. I was born on August 18th, 1994 to Harold Markov, the ruler of Markovia. Yes, the family name is based on the country name. I never knew my mother's name, though. See, I was an illegitimate child and from what I was told, my mother left me in care of my father immediately after I was born."

**[Late 1994—Markovia Presidential Palace]**

The ruler was concerned, and, rightly so. His beautiful baby girl, Tara, was barely four months old and illegitimate in the eyes of his people. He had seduced a slip of a woman, barely 20 herself and unknown to him at the time, was pregnant.

Imagine his shock when she returned to the Palace with a squalling newborn infant and she told him, "She's your daughter. I named her Tara, but, I am not ready to be a mother, so, she's yours."

Harold didn't know what to do, but, the scandal, if it were to become known, would undermine his right to rule. He had decided that the best way to deal with this problem was to do as she asked and started to raise baby Tara on his own, with the help of thoroughly vetted nannies, of course. If asked, he would tell people that her mother had fled the country for America, which was the truth anyway as Penelope Miller was American.

Tara had soft blue eyes, even then, that melted the stoic ruler's heart. Her golden blonde hair had just started to grow. That she got from her mother, as Harold's hair was a dark brown.

His advisors, of course, wanted him to get rid of the child he had sired out of wedlock. He finally grew tired of hearing that and told them that if they wanted to keep their jobs, to not discuss abandoning the baby. It was enough that she'd be forced to grow up not having a mother, but, he would not orphan the little girl.

As Harold held little Tara, a boy walked in. No more than five, Brion was as handsome as his father was. He was also without his mother, though. Jennifer Markov had been killed in an airplane crash while on state affairs when Brion was 6 months old. The loss of Jennifer deeply wounded King Harold. The resulting investigation showed that the plane crash was a tragic accident when the airplane had flown into a cluster of thunderstorms and the pitot tube likely iced over, causing a serious loss of data for the on board computer and autopilot. By the time the pilots knew that the data they had been getting was conflicting, it was too late and the plane slammed into a mountain, there were no survivors.

The country's friends and allies mourned the loss of a beautiful queen. They showed their respect by their heads of state going to the funeral. Not one ally sent a top diplomat. Even those who wished ill upon the country, for a while, set those differences aside and sent condolences at least.

"Hello, Brion," the king said kindly.

"Hi, Papa," the little boy said. To Harold, the title of "Papa" was far more precious to him than "Your Majesty" or "His Royal Highness". It was a title that no one could take away from him.

"Tara getting big?" Brion asked.

"She is, my son," Harold replied.

"Hold her, please?" Brion asked.

"Sit down and you may," the king said. He had started letting his son hold his half-sister recently, under supervision.

Harold gently reminded his son how to hold the baby and Brion held Tara carefully. She looked up at the new face and smiled. She didn't mind the new person holding her…as long as he was careful. She cooed at her brother.

He giggled, then, his nose wrinkled, "Stinky-poo!" he groused.

Brion hit the nail on the head as Tara made use of the diaper. He handed Tara back to Harold who summoned Tara's nanny. She took the baby and wrinkled her nose as well.

The nanny removed Tara from the scene, grumbling under her breath about why the King felt it was beneath him to change a diaper. She kept that to herself, lest she be immediately terminated and thrown out of the palace.

**[Tower]**

Terra stopped for a minute to get a drink of Coke.

"You're a princess?" Cyborg asked.

Terra sighed, "I was. Not anymore, that's coming up later, I'm afraid."

"It's all right," Robin said to encourage Terra to continue.

"I know," she replied, "I have a long way to go, so, might as well relax, right?"

"Take your time," Edward suggested, "This is your story to tell."

Terra sighed again…

**[Markovia – Mid-August 2000]**

A young girl's laughter was heard in the palace as well as a teenaged boy.

"Come on, Tara," Brion said, "Papa said he has something to tell us."

Close behind him was a skinny girl, barely 4 feet tall with shoulder length golden blonde hair and the most intense blue eyes in the family. It was hard to sadden young Tara Markov as she did not have a care in the world. Everything was provided for her, people waited on her every whim. In short, the king spoiled his children somewhat. But, this would come back to haunt the king as some point. Right now, the king had some good news.

Brion and Tara entered the private residence for the family and King Harold said, "Happy Birthday, Tara!"

The future geomancer smiled up at her father, "Thank you, papa!" she said.

She looked at the pile of presents that were clearly for her to enjoy. Some were toys she had asked for, others were clothing items that she'd grow into.

With a happy smile, Tara started opening the presents. She was careful to keep two piles, well, three if you counted the wrapping! As expected, she wasn't too thrilled with the clothes aspect, but, she didn't let that show lest her dad be displeased.

The toys, well, that was a different story as she wanted to play with them right away.

"Children," Harold said kindly, "You'll have to wait to play with the toys. There is something I want to tell you."

"Yes, papa," they said at the same time.

"It's been a while since we've gone on holiday, and, I think it's about time we did so. The kingdom is as stable as it's ever been, so, I think it's time we took a break for a month."

That got smiles out of the two siblings, of course.

* * *

_Oops! When I was working on Chapter 3, I had to come back to this chapter and found a glaring error...I have Terra born in 1994, but, the initial section with the ruler and baby Tara two years early. That's been fixed!_

_2d glaring error time (ugh!) I was re-reading the first Titans story and I realized I skipped an entire year! I know I have the team somewhat older than in the series time wise (I had left Terra in stone for longer than she was implied to be in the series), but, that doesn't justify going from March of 2011 to 2012 in one jump. This means I might want to adjust the one-shot (the Thanksgiving story), but, as I have that after the wedding or Rae and Edward, that might be able to be left alone timing wise. Might have to ponder that one a bit.  
_

_This story is going to take a while to write as I'm lacking a LOT of background on Tara/Terra, so, there *will* be some major gaps in the timeline. I will incorporate some of the comic history of the original Terra as well as the cartoon stuff, obviously.  
_

_*sigh*  
_


	2. Tara in a plane crash and rescued!

**Chapter 2  
[Present time]**

"Sounds like you had a good life up till then," Robin commented as Terra sipped more Coke.

"From what I remember, it was a good life," Terra commented, "I didn't have my powers as yet. That comes later on."

"We never knew you have a brother," Cyborg said, "Why haven't you mentioned him?"

"Patience, Cyborg," Edward said, "All in good time. When she is ready to tell us, she will. I'm just as curious as you are."

"We all are," Robin replied. Terra got up and refilled her glass. She was coming to a more difficult part of her story as it was not all good times as a princess.

**[Early September, 2000 – Markovia]**

Well, the two weeks came and went by pretty quickly. The king had made the necessary arrangements to travel out of the country and. Finally, they were ready to head off into the distance.

They got into the limo to drive to the airport where a private jet was awaiting to take them the rest of the way to their month long vacation.

"This is going to be fun," Tara said happily to her brother, "A month at the beach!"

"Yes, it will be," the king replied gently. His mind was still on the kingdom, obviously.

They boarded the plane shortly and "Markovia 1" was airborne a little while later.

What no one knew, though, is that there was a problem with the airplane. Something that would set in motion a chain of events that led a young girl down a very different path than what she would have wanted had she been asked.

As they climbed to their cruising altitude, the pressurized cabin was slowly losing pressure and as the air became more and more rarified, the occupants felt drowsy. First, young Tara passed out, eyes drooping shut. Then, a few moments later, Brion passed out.

That in itself was weird as the king was enjoying a conversation with the kids.

He stood up and staggered to the cockpit.

"Something is …" he stared to say and collapsed.

"Your Highness!" the pilot yelled and turned to turn over the king.

"DESCEND, NOW!" he said, "Get on oxygen!"

"Mayday! Mayday!" the co-pilot said into the radio after assuring his oxygen, "This is Markovia 1 declaring Mayday." He switched the transponder to the international distress signal, making the blip on the ATC radar larger.

The pilot grabbed the emergency oxygen bottle and put the King on that before resuming his seat.

"Markovia 1, this is control, we copy your Mayday," the radio announced, "We're standing by."

"We've got a pressurization problem and need to descend to 5,000 feet," the pilot said, "Request vectors back to base. We have 5 souls on board."

"You are cleared to descend to 5,000 feet. Make left turn to 245 degrees," ATC directed.

As the pilot started his turning descent, an alarm sounded in the cockpit.

"No!" the co-pilot said, "Engine fire as well. Pulling the bottle."

That meant that he was activating the fire extinguisher and cutting power to the damaged port engine as well.

The plane, already in a compromised position entered into a wing stall, throwing the craft violently about while the pilots fought for control of the aircraft.

The folks on the ground noticed the plane's sudden problem and let their on base fire station know.

The plane fell through the 5,000 requested level before the air thickened enough to allow the pilots to regain partial control, but, even that was not enough as the airplane slammed into the treetops and plowed a path to the ground.

As fortune would have it, even though the wings were damaged, there was no leaking of fuel, but, the aircraft would never fly again regardless.

Both engines had taken heavy damage in the crash landing and both pilots were dead.

**[Back at the Tower]**

"You know," Edward said, "I remember this incident. The government launched an all-out search for the wreckage as soon as the plane disappeared from the radar."

"Come to think of it, Batman had also heard of the incident," Robin said, thinking back.

"I don't remember much after blacking out," Terra said sadly.

"I do," Edward replied, "May I tell this part? There is a reason which will become clear."

Terra nodded, "Please do. No one really told me what happened."

Edward started, "As everyone here knows, I've been 'out of the closet' for a long time, unofficially from 1751 and officially in the early 1800s. It was also a known fact that I do help in search and rescue missions, especially the harder ones.

"The crash of Markovia 1 was one such time. As a standing policy, when countries outside of the USA need my help, a request has to come through official channels. This was done at my request.

"Well, a few hours after the accident, I got the email from the Secretary of State herself asking for me to go to Markovia. So, I went via teleport ASAP."

**[Markovia Palace]**

Edward had teleported to the Palace, per the instructions in his email. The viceroy in charge greeted Edward and said, "Thank you for coming so quickly. Forgive us, but, with our Royal family missing, it's important that they be found quickly."

Edward nodded, "I understand. I'll do what I can to help."

Edward was escorted to the briefing room and shown the area where they thought the plane had gone down. The problem was that the sun was about to set, and that put a priority on finding the plane.

"There's not much time," the viceroy noted.

"That's not a problem, sir," Edward said, "One of the nice things about being a dragon is I have built-in night vision even in human form. I can cover the search pattern."

"Excellent!" the viceroy said, "Several of our helicopters will be assisting you as well."

They went over the pattern until Edward had it memorized and he took his leave to start the search.

He flew to the airport and got the flight plan of Markovia 1 as well as a radar plot of where the trouble began.

Edward was handed a portable transponder to allow the local ATC to know where he was at. But, one drawback was he would be out of contact with ATC.

He decided to fly their exact route, so, he asked that arrivals and departures be held for a few moments to allow him to head to the original departure runway.

The ATC guys told him to hurry as they didn't want to tie up the traffic system long. Edward totally understood and left the tower.

He was at the runway a few moments later and after getting up enough speed the old fashioned way, he became airborne, and started the long climb to where the plane started having problems.

That climb concerned Edward, he was also going above where he could breathe easy, however, he hoped that as he gained altitude, he'd spot something.

He was close to 15,000 feet when he spotted the glint of metal several miles away (not including the three vertical miles) and veered towards it. He also started to descend, obviously to get his breath back. He was also trying to sample the air with his enhanced senses, but, the wind had already carried away any trace of engine smoke.

_Gotta hurry_, he thought to himself, _Choppers might not make it back it in time as it is._

His enhanced senses did tell him as he got closer that he was on the right track. There was damaged branches and as he finally landed, he saw the plane in question.

He didn't smell any fuel leaking, but, was not going to risk a lightning burst into the air until he was certain.

It looked like the plane had landed intact, but, Edward's sense of smell already told him that someone had not made it.

He walked over to the plane, still in Dragon form and saw the two pilots slumped over. Edward sighed and offered a silent prayer for their souls. He also saw the King, still out cold for some reason. As the windshield had shattered, Edward morphed to a bird and flew in before morphing back to human.

Edward saw that the plane's APU had ceased to provide power and the battery, while low, might have enough power to operate the radio. Edward shut down everything else that he could and turned his attention to the King.

Edward saw that his right arm was broken, so, he didn't bother checking that, but, he carefully checked for other injuries.

"Forgive me, your majesty," he said, hoping that he could hear him, "I have to see if you're injured and I must touch your person in order to do so."

King Harold moaned as Edward started his check and Edward discovered that there were a few cracked ribs. No belly distension was apparent. His legs were fine, as well as the ankles and feet.

Edward, suspecting a possible neck injury decided not to check that as well as his head. He didn't see any bleeding from the ears, nor any clear liquid.

He moved to the back cabin and gasped in shock! The two children were also out cold and no oxygen masks!

He raced over and felt them for signs of life. The older boy had a weak pulse and shallow respirations. The little girl was in the same boat, but, Edward saw that she had hit her head on something, probably the back of the seat. Edward checked the children's pulse rate and respirations again and headed for the front of the plane.

He powered up the radio and while the screen lit up, Edward only had one way of knowing.

"Markovia 1 to anyone in range, do you copy?" Edward said into the mic.

Static was heard.

"Markovia 1 to anyone," he called again.

More static.

"This is Edward Barnes aboard Markovia 1 to anyone on this frequency," he said.

Static, then, a voice was heard!

"Markovia 1, this is Eagle lead," the voice on the other end said.

"Eagle, it's good to hear your voice!" Edward said, "I have good news and bad news."

"Go ahead, Markovia 1, we are ready to copy," the voice said.

"I have found His Royal Highness and his children. They are alive," Edward said, "That's the good news. The bad news is that His Highness has several broken bones, his right arm and several ribs are broken or cracked. His son appears to be unharmed, but, his pulse and respirations are weak.

"His daughter, though, needs immediate attention. I suspect a possible fracture."

"Copy that, Markovia 1," the voice said, "Do you have any coordinates?"

Edward risked the on board GPS and said, "Stand by, Eagle lead."

A few long moments later, the GPS had locked onto the satellites and displayed their location.

Edward relayed their coordinates and altitude. He was assured that help was on the way.

"Papa?" Brion called out groggily several minutes later.

Edward walked back to the boy and said, "Hi, there."

Brion looked scared out of his mind.

"Where's my dad?" he demanded.

"Your plane crashed," Edward said, "My name is Edward. I'm here to help. Your dad is out cold still, but, I promise, he'll be OK. Just relax for me."

"How is my sister?" he asked.

"She's sleeping, but, she's got a bad bump on her head," Edward said as he reached over and undid the seatbelts. Brion's was stuck, but, to Edward, it was like breaking a thread as he tore the seat belt off him.

Tara's was just as stuck and just as easily ripped out.

"Stay here while I let some folks know you're going to be OK," Edward said, "Keep an eye on your sister, please."

Edward moved back to the cockpit and checked the King over. He was groaning and as Edward went to take a closer look, his eyes finally opened.

"Don't try to move, sire," Edward said politely, "You've been in a plane crash."

His eyes widened hearing that.

"Sire," Edward said, "Your children are fine. Your son is awake and unharmed. Your daughter needs to be checked out at hospital, she's still out cold and has a large knot on her head.

"You've got a broken arm, which I will have to splint. You also have some possible damaged ribs, so, please do not try to talk."

Harold nodded and relaxed.

"You three are the lucky ones," Edward said, "Your Majesty, I also have bad news. Your flight crew did not make it."

Harold pointed at Edward as if to ask, "Who are you?"

"My apologies, sire," Edward said, "My name is Edward Barnes. Your government asked for my help in finding you."

Harold smiled and whispered, "I've heard of you. My thanks for the help."

"Hush now, your highness," Edward said, "We can't risk those ribs getting any worse. We should have you and your children out of here shortly."

The king nodded and reached up to take hold of Edward's shoulder with his good arm. Edward allowed the contact, of course. After a reassuring squeeze, Edward said, "Let me get on the radio, sire. They will be happy to hear the news."

Harold nodded his assent.

Edward fired up the radio, "Markovia 1 to Eagle."

"Eagle rescue here," the voice on the other end replied.

"His majesty and son are awake and talking," Edward replied, "The little girl is still out, though. Please state your ETA."

"ETA is 5 minutes, Markovia 1," the chopper pilot replied.

"Excellent, I'll have the door open for you," Edward replied, "Out."

Edward walked to the door and tried to open it. As luck would dictate, the impact jammed it tight.

Edward turned the handle and while that moved, the door itself was jammed up. He pushed his weight against it and the blasted door still refused to move.

"OK, have it your way," Edward said.

"We stuck in here?" Brion asked.

"No way, your Highness," Edward said, "I'll have this door open in a minute."

This time, he added a hard shove to the door and with a screech of metal, the door was forced open. It folded up as it normally would.

"Can you walk?" Edward asked.

Brion stood up and carefully moved around little Tara to the door.

Edward smiled seeing that he was careful not to move Tara until the medics arrived.

And, that was happening. Edward heard the helicopter getting closer and looked for it in the fading light. A few minutes later, he saw a large chopper come into view.

As there was no space to land, a rescueman was dropped down to the crash site.

Edward greeted the man a few moments later and said, "Let's get His Majesty taken care of first. His son's unharmed and can wait. The little girl might have a head injury."

The rescueman and Edward went into the plane.

"Your Highness," Edward said, "time to go. Can you walk?"

"I wouldn't advise that," the rescueman replied, "You mentioned over the radio that he had some injuries."

"A broken arm and suspected cracked ribs," Edward said, "I haven't been able to splint the arm or anything else."

"The pilots?" the guy said.

"DOA," Edward said sadly, "They died on impact, looks like."

"I can walk," Harold said, subtly reminding them of the living.

"It's only a few steps, anyway," Edward said.

Edward helped the King to his feet and they walked to the waiting collar. They'd stabilize the arm en route.

They gently put the collar around the king's waist andsignaled that he could be hoisted.

"I'm worried about the little girl, she's still out," Edward said.

They headed back to where Brion and Tara were waiting.

"Hi, Brion," Edward said, "We got your dad taken care of, but, we have to move your sister first."

Brion nodded, "Tara's going to be OK?"

"I think so," Edward said, "She's going to be a very pretty young woman in a few years. Edward had no idea how true those words would be at the time, though.

Edward allowed the rescueman to look at Tara and he said, "I'll need a neck brace." He radioed up to the waiting chopper and they replied that they would drop one down with the rescue collar.

Sure enough, about five minutes later, they had the device and Tata was ready for transport.

Edward carefully scooped her up and put her on the waiting backboard that had also been lowered.

Her eyes fluttered open as she was being strapped in.

"Hi, there," Edward said, "How are you feeling?"

"Hurts," she said and tears started to flow.

Edward held her hand and said, "Hey, you're going to be just fine. Can you feel my hand?"

Tara said, "You're holding my hand?"

"I am," Edward said, "can you squeeze your hand?"

Tara did try, but, it was useless. Edward didn't feel any pressure.

He reached over her and held the other hand, "Try this hand, please."

Still nothing.

She started to cry harder, "I can't feel my hands!"

"Tara," Edward said, "it's all right. This might only be for a little while. You can feel your legs and feet, right?"

"Barely," she said tearfully.

"I promise," Edward said, "We'll get you some help and you'll be good as new."

Edward and the rescueman carried the backboard to the waiting lift.

"We have to lift you to a helicopter," Edward said.

"Where's Brion and Papa?" Tara asked.

"Brion will be up next," Edward said, "Papa's waiting for you in the chopper."

"OK," she said, trying to be brave.

"You're doing fine," Edward assured the youngster.

Edward nodded and the rescueman signaled that he was ready to be lifted up with Tara.

They both went up and Edward retrieved Brion as well.

As they approached, though, the chopper hailed them, "We do not have enough room for you and the King's son."

Edward got on the radio, "Roger that, I'll follow you guys. Give me a moment."

"Understood," the pilot said.

"How are we going to follow them?" Brion asked.

"Have you heard of the stories of dragons?" Edward replied. Brion nodded and said, "They're scary."

"Not all dragons are scary, Brion," Edward said, "There's one who is very friendly to people like you."

"You sure?" he asked.

Edward got down from the plane and said, "Close your eyes, then."

Brion did and Edward morphed to his mini-dragon form.

"Go ahead and open your eyes," he said.

Brion's eyes went wide as dinner plates and his jaw hit the ground.

Edward chuckled, "This is my true appearance, Brion, but, smaller for you. I need you to be brave and get on my back."

Brion, showing that he was brave, did as Edward asked.

"Hold onto the ridge on front of you, please," Edward instructed respectfully, keeping in mind that he was transporting the Crown Prince.

The helicopter started moving and Edward gave it a few moments and said, "Here we go! You shouldn't fall off, but, if you did, you're over my wings and I'll glide long enough to help you back on."

As Brion watched, Edward took to the air and fell into formation with the helicopter.

Edward twisted his head around to make sure Brion was holding on.

"Having fun?" he asked.

"A little bit," Brion said, "I'm worried.

"Edward, will my papa and sister be OK?"

"They will be," Edward said, "Papa only has a broken arm and hurt his ribs. Tara might have to spend time in hospital, though. The doctors will want to make sure that both are fit to be home to recover."

"Why did we crash?" Brion asked.

"I wish I could tell you that one," Edward said, having to move his head back to where he could see to follow the helicopter. Night had already fallen, luckily, Edward could see in almost total darkness almost like it was a night of the full moon.

"Brion," Edward said, "What do you remember before you woke up and saw me."

"Tara and I were talking about the vacation we were supposed to go on," he said, "I felt light headed and my vision started to fade."

_Oxygen starvation, then,_ Edward thought.

The helicopter climbed a bit and Edward followed suit. He saw why, though as there was another mountain in the way.

"I'm cold," Brion said.

"My apologies," Edward said, "There's not much I can do. I suppose some small flame bursts will work."

"You breathe fire?" Brion asked.

"I do," Edward said, "Also I can use lightning as well as ice."

"Cool!" he said.

Edward lit up his spinal ridge a nice soft red glow.

"That's pretty," Brion said.

Edward blew a short flame burst to heat the air in front of them and then glided through it.

"Thanks!" Brion said, "That's much better!"

The helicopters speakers came alive a moment later, "We will be landing at base camp shortly. Prepare the Prince for descent."

"Looks like the ride is almost over," Edward said, "Hang on."

Edward followed the chopper down and landed about 30 feet away from the camp. Brion slid off and after he did that, Edward resumed his human form.

As he watched, Tara was carefully lifted out of the chopper and into a waiting ambulance, as was the King moments later. Edward was puzzled, though. _Why an ambulance when these choppers can get them there quicker?_

"Got room for the Prince?" Edward asked as they caught up to the vehicle.

"There's another car waiting for him," the driver said, "We're not allowed to take passengers save the wounded."

"Over here!" another voice called and headlights flashed.

The two walked over to the waiting car and Edward opened the door to allow Brion to enter.

"Have a safe trip," Edward said.

"You're not coming with us?" Brion asked.

"I'm afraid not," Edward said, "I am needed back home, however, I will check on your progress in a few days."

"All right," he said, disappointed. The car pulled out as the ambulance did a few moments later.

Edward headed back to the base camp for a minute, but, was stopped by a guard.

"Sorry, sir," he said, "I can't let you pass."

Edward took that in stride and turned around. He walked a few yards away and decided to head for home.

After reforming his mini-Dragon self, he took to the air and teleported home.

**[Tower]**

"That was you that helped me?" Terra asked.

Edward nodded, "It was."

Terra leaned over and hugged Edward, "Thank you."

Edward hugged her back and replied, "You're welcome."

The others rolled their collective eyes, though.

"What?" Edward asked, "How was I supposed to know that I'd set off a chain of events?"

"Relax, dude," Beast Boy said, "It's all good."

Edward chuckled, "Gotcha!"

That got him a cushion tossed at him by Raven!

* * *

_This is going to be a harder one to write as I have very little information regarding Terra to go on, comic canon or via the series itself. I'm trying to blend the two together the best I can, though. But, I doubt we'll see the others in the rest of the story, save for little breaks in Terra's narration._

_However, I do not plan on making Brion into Geo-Force in this story. He wasn't part of the actual series and that makes it tough. I know...I use the JL characters more often then I did when I started this little adventure because I always wondered how the two teams would co-exist. Does Robin really hate Batman so much that he told Bats to stay out of Jump City?  
_

_Oh well...  
_


	3. Tara's having early issues

**Chapter 3**

Terra got up for a moment to refill her glass of soda again before sitting down.

It didn't take Raven's empathic skills to know that Terra was really nervous as, up till that accident, her life was pretty good. She didn't harbor any ill will towards Edward, knowing that he did what he was asked.

Cyborg noticed her nervousness and when she sat down, he gave her a hug and said, "You're doing good, Terra. We got your back, remember that."

"Thanks, Tin Man," she said with a small smile, "Well, after the rescue, I don't remember much for a while. That's why I don't remember you, Edward. I'm sorry."

"No worries," Edward said, "you had a head trauma, I didn't expect you to remember me. Actually, it didn't dawn on me that our lives crossed when you were a little girl. That makes me even happier to know that while you had things rough, you have friends here that care."

Terra shook hard and that was Beast Boy's cue to be supportive of his girlfriend.

"I'm here, Terra," he said as she quietly wept for a moment. Robin got a box of Kleenix and handed it to Beast Boy.

[I wonder how long it's really been since Terra had a home where people care about her,] Edward asked Raven.

[Too long, dear,] Raven replied, [There's a lot of emotional damage that is still healing. This is a huge step she's taking and, well, she's not sure how we will react to the next part of the story.]

Edward sighed, [Should I call a break to let her calm down?]

[No,] Raven replied, [She's not in a panic state. She really wants to tell us the whole story.]

Terra recovered a minute later and said, "Mind if we stop for a few minutes?"

Robin said, "Not at all. This has been going on for a few hours.

"You got anything special planned for dinner, Chef?"

"Not really," Edward replied, "Just some burgers for the meat eaters and some tofu burgers for Beast Boy."

"Sounds good!" Cyborg said with a smile. He enjoyed Edward's burgers immensely, as did the rest of the gang.

"I take it Rae and I should start those?" Edward asked.

"Might as well," Robin said.

Edward shrugged and got up. Raven followed of course. She had improved to the point that Edward was comfortable letting her cook for the team finally. She did well when she cooked for Edward and herself, and, he finally relented and let her cook for the team. The first time she did a solo meal for the Titans, they were happily surprised. That made the young empath quite happy that night.

Well, Edward got the garden burgers out first and after adding his seasonings, pan fried those in olive oil and added some soy based cheese to the burgers. Edward didn't have the heart, though, to ask why Beast Boy didn't mind real cheese on his pizza, but, insisted on vegan cheese for other things. For one, it didn't melt at all like regular cheese did. But, he was respecting Beast Boy's wishes.

He plated the patties and grabbed the burgers that Raven had prepared as Edward cooked. He smiled as he gave them the once-over. Those went into the frying pan as well.

Several burgers, though, he fixed different, mainly for Cyborg. Those, he took a good chunk of Velveeta and inserted into the middle of one raw patty and put another patty on top. After carefully sealing the burger, he put that on as well.

It took about 30 minutes to get things prepared, but, the team sat down to a nice meal. Needless to say, everyone enjoyed their dinner, especially Cyborg when he discovered his "Juicy Lucy" cheeseburger. Also, Starfire loved it as she preferred to drink mustard like it was Pepsi, and, there was plenty to go around.

Then, an hour after Robin called a break to let Terra prepare the next part of her story, dinner was consumed and the dishes put in the dishwasher.

"Let's continue," Terra said after the last items were put away.

**[Mid-September, 2000]**

Young Tara was still in the hospital after her rescue and, well, there had been complications from the lack of oxygen and the head trauma.

She became moody and temperamental as a result of the injury. Her personality had been altered and, well, eventually a new doctor named Dr. Helga Jace was brought in to see what was wrong.

Tara suspected, in her young mind, that this Dr. Jace had some plans for her. What plans, she obviously did not know.

It didn't matter, though, not right away. Tara was having trouble remembering things prior to the plane crash and it was frustrating her to no end to know that her memory was not as good as it was. She didn't even remember the kind stranger who helped her and Brion.

She didn't even believe her brother when he tried to tell her that he rode a real life dragon.

As time passed, Dr. Jace realized that the major personality shift was a permanent thing as well as the memory problems. She was also working on an experimental drug that she hoped would at least help her brain to recover.

The problem was that the injury was also affecting Tara's ability to walk and even other motor skills. It wasn't severe, but, it was bothersome to the young girl to have to relearn how to walk and she took those frustrations out on whoever was nearby. She somehow knew that she couldn't talk to her father that way, but, others were subjected to Tara's new stubborn streak.

Dr. Jace got Harold's permission to treat Tara with the experimental drug, even though it had not been tested on anyone else. In other countries, this was highly unethical and potentially illegal. However, Dr. Jace couldn't be concerned with that as the CT Scans showed an area in Tara's brain that had suffered more damage than other areas. If it wasn't repaired or starting to heal soon…it would eventually kill her.

Well, the treatment was started shortly thereafter and within a couple of weeks, Tara's mood had improved as her motor skills started to improve as well.

A month after the treatments began, Tara underwent another CT Scan and the damage to her brain had shown a remarkable improvement. But, they also noticed something else. Her DNA had been altered in the process. There were differences in the genetic pattern that were baffling folks all around. But, they finally decided that the changes, however slight, may not cause many problems in the near term, but, they also knew that as Tara got older, there was a chance that puberty might trigger those changes.

Tara was released from the hospital after 6 weeks of the treatments. She still had to do physical therapy daily to rebuild her strength and help her brain re-wire itself, if that was needed. That, Tara hated with a passion. No one blamed her though for what had happened.

In fact, the early investigation was showing that there was a pressurization problem initially and because the engines were working harder to maintain air pressure, it was a matter of time before one failed. The port engine suffered an oil leak, which, in turn caught fire at the worst possible time. The wing stall was the final straw that broke the camel's back. The pilots, of course, were given a proper funeral with full honors for bringing the plane in safely at the cost of their lives. King Harold stipulated that Markovia would pick up the costs of the funeral and to make sure that the widowed wives were looked after for life by signing a royal decree to that effect.

But, Tara readjusted to being back home. It took some time, though. She was having trouble remembering things still and her moods were reflecting that.

"It'll be OK, sis," Brion said one day, "You have to give yourself time to heal."

"Easy for you to say!" she retorted, "You weren't out as long as I was, were you?"

Brion replied, "Tara, I know you were out the longest, and that you were hurt more. That doesn't mean you can take it out on everyone else, though! This wasn't your fault, either."

Tara stormed off, though. She didn't want to hear it. Brion sighed in frustration as he had been trying to get through to her without much success.

Tara was confused, though. She had been told that her injuries had healed, yet, she didn't feel right. She felt weird and she wasn't sure what the heck was happening to her. She didn't like it, though.

Yet, as time passed, Tara's outbursts trended down and she started to be happy again…

**[Mid-August, 2004]**

Tara had turned 10 finally and she was bordering on puberty. But, it was also becoming obvious that while Tara was the King's daughter, she didn't look much like Brion. The regular Joe Sixpack was starting to notice this as well and Harold had to eventually make a decision: Admit that Tara was born out of wedlock and disgrace the throne and possibly be forced to abdicate, or, send Tara away for good and stripping her of her right to be a princess. To the advisors, some of who resented the fact that maybe the king had been in power too long and wanted him gone. They were not stupid enough to have him assassinated. They already tried that play and His Majesty and children survived the attempt. Oh, they were good at covering their tracks, but, the attempt was supposed to have resulted in that plane exploding, hopefully in mid-air or on impact with the ground.

But, after the rescue by that interloping Dragon, they had to lay low for years. Now with the daughter on the verge of assuming her mother's looks, it wouldn't take long for people to start whispering that she looked nothing like the King's late wife and since the King had not remarried since then, well, it wouldn't do to have the princess be known as illegitimate.

So, they planned a different way to get rid of him or at least discredit him. They would expose young Tara as motherless. They were, after all, thinking of the kingdom, right?

Well, a few days after Tara's 10th birthday party, the advisors went to see the King.

"Your Highness," they said in a letter, "We, the undersigned royal advisors, having the best interest of the Kingdom, respectfully request that the child known as Tara Markov either be publically revealed as being an illegitimate child or that she be stripped of her title and exiled from Markovia.

"We fear that should it become known, that His Highness will be discredited before the eyes of our friends and allies and that irreparable harm should befall the throne. It would give our enemies a chance to sway wavering alliances against the kingdom.

"If the child is removed from the country, though, we would go along with any cover story His Majesty would desire to tell the people."

It was signed by most of the advisors.

King Harold's face purpled in rage and he said, "Get out of my sight before I have you executed! How dare you blackmail me like this?! Pack your things and GET OUT OF THE PALACE…YOU'RE FIRED!"

The palace guards rushed in, hearing the sudden raised voices and Harold said, "Remove these traitors from this building, immediately!"

The guards grabbed the advisors and, with weapons drawn, frog marched the advisors out of the building…all of them.

The advisors weren't even given a chance to present their case, but, Tara happened to see and hear what was going on. Her father had just tossed out his friends and one advisor yelled out, "You haven't heard the last of this! We'll expose your little girl as a pretender to the throne!"

Tara shouldn't have heard that as something snapped within her. She ran to her room, in tears and as she cried, she didn't see a soft yellow glow in her hands or feel her hair starting to stand on end. The ground trembled, ever so slightly, just enough to be noticeable by folks in the palace.

Tara's powers had been activated and set her on a path that no one could foresee…

* * *

_Man...This is going to be hard to write with a different central character. Now I know how JK Rowling must have felt moving on from Harry Potter. *Chuckle*_

_I'm going to be splitting time between this and "A Titan's Wedding", please don't expect rapid updates on this one. The Muse is not very forthcoming with this one and, honestly, I've considered scrapping this story a few times. However, recently, I did have one person favorite/follow this, so, I'll try to keep plugging at this.  
_

_What sucks...I wrote "A Titan Thanksgiving" in less than 36 hours and that was literally a spur of the moment story. I had that idea the night before Thanksgiving and wrote a majority of it around Thanksgiving dinner and had it posted Friday morning. "Terra's Story" (Yeah, I changed it to avoid people thinking I was retelling the episode...been there, done that) is fighting back like Malchior in a bad mood...*sigh*  
_

_Ideas welcomed!  
_


	4. Tara's powers grow

**Chapter 4  
[Present Day]**

Terra shuddered once more, prompting Beast Boy to hold her. He, for once, didn't know what to say.

Edward got up and put his arm around her as well. She looked up at him and he said, "You're doing well, Tara. I know this is very difficult for you to do. I know that the worst is yet to come for you and for us as well.

"This was the tip of the iceberg, I gather?"

She nodded, "Yeah, it was. I was deeply hurt by that idiot. I know he saw me, that's why he shouted that towards my father. The seed had been planted and my powers made things worse over time."

"And, they activated that day," Edward mused, "I'm not overly surprised at that. When Cyborg examined your DNA after your recovery, he isolated those little strands that had been modified and fixed them, as we all know.

"At the time, we thought you had been born with your abilities. This tells me that this isn't a natural mutation. Then again, Beast Boy wasn't born with green skin, pointy ears and the ability to shapeshift, either."

"True," Beast Boy said, "originally I had regular flesh tones and blond hair. If you'll excuse me for a moment…"

Terra let go and Beast Boy raced for his room in cheetah form. He came back a few minutes later with a picture.

In it were two adults and a child of 8 or 9. The child definitely was a much younger Garfield Logan and looking completely human.

"This was a couple of years before I got ill and my dad had no choice but to inject me with an experimental drug he developed to save my life. That is what gave me the abilities I have."

He sighed as the memories came back.

[Whoa!] Raven said, [Sudden flood of emotion from Beast Boy.]

[OK,] Edward said, [Gotta let him work those out as well.]

Terra looked at her boyfriend and pulled him into a hug.

"Still hurts," he muttered.

"Gar," Edward said, "You've gone a long way since then."

"Sure," he muttered, "You weren't there when they were unable to escape a waterfall's pull and told me to save myself. I lived, they died. End of their lives while I have to live with it."

Edward's face darkened for a moment before he composed himself, "No, I wasn't there, dude. You know I would have saved them if I could have.

"But, you haven't had the burden of watching friends and those you called family grow old and die while you stay forever young. Being immortal is as much a curse as it is a blessing. You get to live and see humanity develop, but, the price is sometimes too high.

"You weren't there when my Callisto went insane when our adopted child was killed in a storm. You will never have to suffer a self-imposed exile for hundreds of years because some asshole POPE turned the masses into believing that dragons were out and out evil. You will never have the torture of not having a loved one in your arms nor bed for centuries because she would eventually find out about your secret and betray you to the authorities who, fearing you, would brand you a witch or a sorcerer and try to murder you in cold blood!"

Edward was shaking in barely restrained anger as he struggled to keep from punching a hole through the wall.

Raven got up and embraced her fiancée, soothing him in the process.

"Sorry, guys," she said, "He'll be fine in a few moments."

[Hey, big guy,] Love said through the link, [All that is over and done with. You've got us to love and soon, we'll be together for a very long time.]

[She's right,] Happy said, [Raven's never been happier and, she knows that we won't leave you or try to get you killed. With father gone for good, Raven doesn't have a reason not to show her feelings and we'll protect you.]

Edward sighed, [Thanks girls. I love you as well. You know that, all of you. It bothers me when Beast Boy blames himself for his parents' death when I've seen this entire planet's population being replaced and exploding for centuries.]

"You all right?" Beast Boy asked.

"I'm fine, Gar," he said, "Sorry for biting your head off."

"Don't be," Beast Boy said, "Living as long as you have, we're used to this stuff coming from you."

Terra had also composed herself and while she was kind of grateful for the little break, she had a long way to go.

"Time to continue," she said as Edward went back to normal…

**[August, 2005]**

Young Tara, by the time another birthday rolled around, was frightened. She had realized that the accident and treatment had changed her, a lot. She had discovered by then her budding terrakinetic powers and that she had no control over them at all. Rocks and stones would simply start floating on their own, especially when she was stressed.

Worst yet, though, was that everyone knew of it, including her father. It had gotten to the point where his new advisors were cautiously wondering if maybe it would be best to send her away for her own safety. But, they heard what happened to the previous advisors: Fired from their posts and exiled because they dared threaten to expose Tara.

So, when it came to his daughter, they treaded lightly, but, they also had to be bold about it.

The issue was forced, though, when Tara accidentally triggered an earthquake in an otherwise stable area. Several buildings were damaged with injuries. Luckily, the injuries were minor and no one killed.

The advisor who was selected by the others went in to see the King.

"Your Majesty?" he asked, bowing, "Do you have a few moments?"

"Of course," he said, "You may approach."

"Begging Your Highness' pardon," the advisor said, "I've been asked by the others to respectfully ask that you reconsider sending Tara away. As you know, she has developed these earth moving powers over the last year and recently, there was an earthquake, which we all felt here in the palace. As this area is typically geographically stable and has been since before the Kingdom arose, we are convinced that she caused it by accident. We've also evidence to that fact, which I give to you for your consideration.

"Sire, we know how protective you are of your children and we have the utmost respect for that. Tara's a sweet child, that's a given. However, we have to think of the safety of your subjects first and foremost. As you know, there were 45 people injured in that quake. We were lucky that those were all minor injuries and that there were no fatalities."

The king looked over the reports and said, "The previous people who held your posts made the mistake of angering me with blackmail. You have presented facts that back up your opinion regarding that recent quake.

"I will have to think about this as I do not wish to send her away right away.

"Thank you for the respect shown in giving me this report. Nothing to pardon as you are presenting your concerns of the Kingdom."

"Please, sire, do not take too long to think about this," the advisor replied, "Tara's power is developing and it's uncontrolled."

Harold sighed, "I know. Dr. Jace warned me that that if her genetic mutation activates, she might not be able to control it, and, there was no idea what the mutation would be at the time. Please, leave me."

The advisor bowed again and left.

Unknown to either of them, Brion overheard the conversation and went to find his little sister. What he would tell her would trigger the chain of events that would lead her to a city 6,000 miles away and an as yet unformed team.

**[Tower]**

"It sounds like your father was not sure if he should send you away or not," Robin said, "I can tell he loved you if he was caught between you and his Kingdom."

"He did love me," Terra replied, "I'm not so sure about now, though."

"Leave that to me," Edward replied, "I can find out via official channels if he would be willing to see you or at least talk to you."

"I'd like that," Terra said, "The next few months were the beginning of my forced travels, though. My powers were still developing and I had no idea how to even control them fully. When I was calm, I would practice on smaller things, like I did here. But, under times of stress or when I was upset, that's when they would rage out of control."

"I remember the one time," Beast Boy said, referring to when Terra completely lost control of her powers in her first encounter with Slade.

"Yeah," she said, "You risked getting hurt to comfort me that time. But, I was so grateful that you did."

Beast Boy wanted to retort back, but, for once, held his peace. He knew what happened the next day as much as the other Titans who were there at the time.

Terra remembered that as well and blushed.

"It's OK, dear," Beast Boy said. That got a smile out of the geomancer.

**[September, 2005]**

Tara had been told what had transpired and the more she thought about it, the more she was convinced that she had become a danger. Little did she know: Her father was thinking the same thing.

Well, Tara was in school one day when she was accosted by a group of bullies and taunted.

"Well, look who we have here," one bully said, "A pretty blond who thinks that she's better than us. Bet she doesn't even know how to fight."

"I know how to fight," Tara said, "I do not want to fight you, though."

"Oh," the bully said, "You too much of a sissy to fight?"

"No," Tara said.

"I think you're too chicken to want to fight," the bully said, giving Tara a shove. Tara hit the dirt and before she could react, the others started raining down punches and kicks.

They didn't see until it was too late that Tara's eyes were glowing yellow and the next thing the bullies knew, they were being pelted with rocks. A whirlwind formed around them as Tara's powers exploded out of control and the ground shook hard.

Tara's entire body was glowing yellow and her hair was going all over the place as the bullies realized that they were in trouble. They couldn't get out of the center of the vortex or rocks, gravel, stones and clumps of dirt.

"TARA!" Brion yelled, trying to get his sister's attention, "TARA! You got to calm down."

"Help me!" she screamed, not understanding what was wrong. The bullies, scared out of their minds were yelling as well. They had bumps and bruises forming and those hurt! They wanted out of the crazed girl's reach and the sooner the better.

"It's going to be OK, sis!" Brion yelled, "Calm down and you'll regain control!"

Tara was shaking hard as she tried to calm down. Eventually, the flying materials collapsed and fell back down. The bullies looked at Tara and ran.

One was tripped by Brion and he said, "What did you do to my little sister, you little punk?" He cocked his own fist as he held the bully by her shirt.

"Katrina goaded her and when your sister didn't want to fight, we attacked her," the bully said, so scared she was willing to sing like a canary.

"You idiot!" Brion said, "Look at the damage! My sister already has problems with those powers and you just made them worse! Get outta my sight before I forget a Prince shouldn't hit a sissy girl!" He released the scared girl and went to comfort Tara, who was sobbing.

He gathered her into his arms and started rocking her gently, "It'll be OK, sis." He didn't know, though, if that would be the case. Tara had been provoked and the playground was a disaster zone.

Tara started to calm down as her hair settled back down and her eyes stopped glowing.

By then, a group of grownups had converged on the scene and wanted to know what the heck had happened. They recognized the two kids and Brion said, "Some bullies attacked my sister."

"But," one adult said, "what could cause all this damage?"

Brion didn't want to answer that and at that time, the police had arrived and they had standing orders "If there's an incident with the Royal Family, bring the children to the Palace."

They realized that something major had happened judging by the damage and the fact that the bully's parents were livid that their poor innocent kids were brutalized…of course the kids ran straight home and reversed the story to make it look like Tara had attacked them first.

It didn't take long, though, for the truth to come out. Brion informed the officers that the bullies were the ones that attacked his sister and as those kids already had been in trouble for bullying, the police commander on the scene decided that the bullies needed to be taught a lesson and had them charged with assaulting a member of the Royal Family.

Word got back to the Palace pretty quick and it forced Tara's father to make a painful choice. He would have to send his baby girl away after all.

* * *

_Hi, Everyone!  
_

_OK, made a few corrections to this one. Mainly fixing typos :)_

_Well, I figured I better get this next chapter of Terra's Story online before a gal in Arizona decided to hang me (J/K). Between this and "Honeymoon in Hawaii", I got my hands full!  
_

_Please to leave the words of kindness ;)  
_


	5. Interlude

**Chapter 5  
[Present day]**

"That had to have been hard for your father to decide," Robin said, "I don't know if I could have made that choice."

"Thing is," Terra said, "Papa didn't have a choice. Not after that. Those bullies that triggered my powers were the kids of certain high ranking officials and advisors. They were trying to discredit the crown through me. But, then, I kind of pushed the issue as well. I knew that my powers were growing and becoming more dangerous and without a means of controlling them, it was a matter of time.

Edward said, "I had wondered for a while about the unexplained quakes in that area, but, I couldn't barge in and find out easily. You see, I've been a citizen of the United States for a long time, even before I revealed what I am and how old I've become. I still have some of the original papers stored under my various names. But, I didn't settle on this name until the mid-1700s. At the time, it was still easy for me to simply alter my human form and move to another area of the country where no one would put things together.

"I made a deliberate decision, though, not to get involved in the affairs of other countries during peacetime by going there without permission. Granted, I still would go at times for relaxation purposes. Most countries friendly to the USA would process me as any other visitor with proper visas issued.

"In wartime, it was different. If I was fighting/spying for the Allies, the enemy got the hint eventually that it's tough to stop me since I can blend in pretty easy and my language skills would not mark me as a 'tourist'."

"Besides," Raven remarked, "When you can morph and teleport, you're hard to capture."

"Sure," Edward groused, "As long as I'm not knocked on my ass first. Then again, your half-brothers found out what happens when I'm captured and then used for their amusement. Damn fools."

Raven replied, "I'm not unhappy that they are gone. They got what they deserved for torturing you like that."

Edward shrugged, "I even gave one of them the chance to help me and he refused. They chose to die, far as I'm concerned. And, Trigon, he got the death he deserved as well for what he did to the both of us."

The others remembered how Edward could be when he gave into his true draconic nature. When he thought Raven had been completely corrupted, his nature exploded violently. It took a renewed Raven to break through and Edward could have killed her in his anger by accident.

They were, obviously, glad her emoticlones were mainly unharmed and they helped in the fight.

When he was attacking Trigon within Nevermore, he was chanting "This is for Timid…This is for Brave…This is for Happy…This is for the team…This is for Raven." When he tore Trigon's throat out, the snarl he uttered was "AND THIS IS FOR ME!"

But, that was in the past, far as Edward was concerned. He was more concerned with Terra right now. His long years of experience told him that she was barely scratching the surface of her story.

He knew that other things had to have happened to have caused her to be so full of anger when she turned on the team and why there were so many flashes of her temper and instability at times, even after her rescue. That's what bothered Edward the most.

Terra had, however, gotten up to use the restroom. Then again, everyone needed a short breather. So, seeing how night had fallen, Robin decided to give Terra a break.

She returned and sat down. Robin said, "I think we all need to let what we've learned thus far set in. There's a lot here, so, unless Terra objects, let's call it a night and relax with a movie or two."

"Actually, I'd like to continue, if that's all right?" Terra asked.

"You sure?" Edward asked.

"Stow it, Fire Boy," Terra said with a smile.

"Gee," Edward said, "I haven't been called that in a long time." He chuckled, though.

**[October 1, 2005]**

The King had made his decision regarding his daughter. He had to make the painful choice to send her away to protect the kingdom. There was a place in the United States where Tara could stay and hopefully be helped.

Since Tara's eruption a couple weeks before, she had been restricted to the Palace as there was an uproar with the population over the "unexplained" earthquake that occurred. The parents of the bullies, of course, were telling another story to the media and that wasn't helping matters any. They made it out like Tara was a monster who needed to be in jail, not holed up in the palace.

But, as much as the king tried to keep Tara from finding out what the media was saying, it wasn't helping matters much. Tara saw the looks on the staff faces and it wasn't the looks she was getting a year ago. People were fearful of the little blond girl.

Finally, though, the king realized that between her powers and the words of his current advisors and former advisors with the threat to the kingdom over his one night stand with Tara's birth mother, he would have to send his girl away, possibly forever.

So, one evening, he drew up secret documents stripping Tara of her official titles that would only come to light after she left the country. The story would be that due to her uncontrolled powers, she was a danger to the country as well as the region surrounding Markovia. They had already fielded queries from France and Germany about the odd quakes that, while quite mild, still registered on the seismographs.

He made the arrangements to have her "escorted" to the airport and taken overseas within the week. He knew he was forever breaking any trust between the two of them, and possibly Brion as well. The affairs of the kingdom and the safety of its subjects was paramount.

It was difficult, though, for him to explain to her that she would be leaving for a long time, but, he also knew that he has to break the news to her gently and to soften any blow.

The following day would be her last in Markovia and, well, Harold wanted it to be a good one.

So, he also had arranged for a party for her and while the party was going on, he would tell her what was to be. He didn't realize that it would be a mistake, though…

**[Tower]**

Terra stopped and it was apparent that what was about to be said was hard for the young terrakinetic to say.

Beast Boy pulled her into a one armed hug and said, "Why do I have a feeling that this is going to go downhill really fast?"

"That was the last day for a long time when I felt I had a home," Terra said, "It was before my heart was broken and my world started to crumble.

"Friends, this happy-go-lucky gal is a façade at times. I know you figured out that my life wasn't all it should have been. Sure, I stomped a few bad guys here and there, but, I made more enemies than friends before I came here. I had to learn to fend for myself, how to survive."

She yawned, though. That gave Robin an opening.

"Seeing how it's almost 11 PM, I'm calling a break until tomorrow morning," he said, "Sorry, Terra. This time, it's final. I want you to rest and relax."

"No argument there," she said, surprising Robin and Edward. Edward's empathic senses were on alert with her. She was already struggling to get through the narration and Edward knew that the worst was yet to come.

Raven stood up and yawned, "Excuse me."

The young empath was also being affected by the ebb and flow of Terra's emotions, but, was hesitant to draw those away from her. Edward had been teaching her when it would be OK to ease a person's emotional distress to a bearable point, but, not to remove it entirely. This was different, though. What Terra had been forced to go through had shaped her into the young woman sitting next to Beast Boy.

It was troublesome to Edward, though. His experience with mutants was limited to his friends from 1750 to 1790 when the exiled-in-time couple died. Then, Edward and his then wife mourned the losses deeply, even though Edward's life crossed theirs again in the late 20th Century when they were children into their teenaged years. His role, at the time was an observer, though. He only intervened directly a couple of times, to make sure that the man's history would unfold properly, but, left the guy to work through the issues as best he could. Edward knew that once a certain date passed, the couple would be exiled into his Colonial past. When he went through that purple flash and woke up he knew that the timeline was correct and he could move on with his life – no longer worried about altering an important timeline.

Terra, as well as the others, were still relatively new to him. He had, of course, followed the Justice League and was pleased to finally meet them recently. Joining the Titans, though, was a major swerve in his life. He certainly would never trade it for the world: He was marrying Raven soon and looking forward to trying to start a family with her.

He loved Raven deeply. Everyone knew that fact…even some of the Titan's enemies who had the misfortune of feeling Edward's wrath, starting with Plasmus so many months ago. He was still comfortably in jail, though.

He also loved, on a different level, the troubled geomancer. That was a sisterly love. But, he kept that at arm's length when she was talking to him as her "therapist". He had to do that or his effectiveness would be undermined. Terra understood that deep down, though.

But, as Edward and Raven headed for their room, he sensed that Terra wasn't the only one bothered by retelling her story. He could feel Raven's turmoil through the link. The emoticlones were in an uproar, and this was only after the first day.

They entered their shared quarters and as soon is the door closed, Raven sat down on her bed and Edward sat next to her.

"You OK?" he asked her out of concern.

"I'm fine," she said.

He reached over and took her hand, allowing his sense of calm to slowly ease the empath's emotions.

"Terra's come a long way," Edward said, "I don't think she's bothered telling anyone else her story until now. It's a huge step in the right direction."

"How do we know she's not telling this to make us feel sorry for her again?" Raven asked.

"She's not," Edward replied, "All those counseling sessions with her, that she started voluntarily, have told me that while she did manipulate the team before she was petrified, she's since realized that we're the only family she has now. She's more frightened of us turning against her and casting her out. Well, I should clarify that: It's always been a concern to her based on her past. What I think is that she had tried to fit in before and her powers got in the way. Unexplained quakes, mudslides where they normally don't occur eventually caused people to look at her, not with love and friendship, but, distrust and enmity."

"I know I didn't trust her at first," Raven said, "I don't know if it was being jealous or just because she was the newbie on the team. When she returned, I wasn't very nice to her. But, I had sensed she hooked up with Slade in the 6 months she was gone. I don't get, though, why she helped save the Tower when Slade's machine had successfully started to cause the ground under the Tower to collapse."

"Part of Slade's master plan, Rae," Edward said, "He had to get Terra inside the team, and, that meant eating several defeats. Her working to save the Tower alongside you did the intended job. It earned the team's trust, correct?"

"It did," she admitted, "They both played the team like fiddles…AND WE LET THEM!"

Raven's eyes changed to her enraged state.

"Rae, that was in the past…Or should I say 'Rage'?" Edward challenged.

"Does it matter?" Raven asked, her voice a blend of her normal voice and her demon side.

"Yes, it does Rage," Edward said, "You think I haven't felt the sense of betrayal you feel? How do you think I felt when my first beloved turned on me? That's haunted me for centuries. When she snapped once and for all, she ripped my heart out, stomped it flat and put the crumpled remains back. I had thought I moved on, over time…But, guess what? It took someone else nearly 2650 years later to really help me move on. And, there was almost 50 years of happy marriage before she was killed in a fight. That's what Raven sensed, Rage…A lonely Dragon."

Edward sighed as Raven returned to normal. Edward gathered Raven into a hug as she fought her emotions.

"I'm sorry," she said, but, Edward gently put a finger over her lips.

"It's OK, honey," Edward said to reassure her, "No harm, no foul. Terra's got you in a foul mood. Want to meditate for a while?"

Raven nodded and started to levitate. She took Edward's hand and they both started to meditate on the issues.

**[Beast Boy/Terra's room]**

"Thanks for being there, Garfield," Terra said with a sigh, "I really appreciate this."

She snuggled into Beast Boy's shoulder, comforted by his deep love for her. Deep down, she knew that he loved her from even before she turned against the team, but, all the rejections from before ate at her. She had forgiven the team for their rejection, but, she was having a hard time letting go of other incidents where she was almost chased out of town due to her runaway powers.

The accident had altered her personality as well as caused other issues, obviously. Issues that Edward was helping her with as best he could. But, even his experience was sometimes not enough to prevent her from lashing out. That's when she needed rescued the most, though. That job mainly fell to Beast Boy. They had learned to not only trust each other, but, he was able to move on from his parents' death and his rejection of Terra when she betrayed the team. Had he reached out to her despite Slade being there, she might not have changed sides.

Beast Boy gave his girl a kiss on the forehead and replied, "You don't have to thank me, Terra. We love each other and that will get us through a lot."

"And, that from the guy who was always telling jokes," she jabbed with a smirk, "The guy who Raven thought was immature."

"Hey!" he said, "Cut me some slack, girl. I'm still funny to you, and, that's what matters. Then again, Raven's not been giving me as much grief since she and Edward got together."

"Of course, silly," Terra said, "Raven and Edward are just as much in love as you and I. I'm happy that they are getting married soon. They've rubbed off on the whole team, even though I feel bad for Cy. He still hasn't found anyone close by."

"Well," Beast Boy said after a moment, "I do think that he likes BumbleBee a bit. I've overheard bits and pieces of their conversations."

"Remember the last time you got caught?" Terra reminded him.

He said, "These pointed ears are good at catching things. I just tune out conversations now meant for me now. Last time, I couldn't taste anything for almost a day. That extract really did help teach me a lesson. But, I will get Edward back at some point. I know he put you and the other up to that."

"Sweetie," Terra said, "Edward was pissed that you intentionally eavesdropped that time. Robin wanted to kick you out immediately, but, he wanted to give you a chance to learn the lesson without taking such a drastic step. He allowed Edward to prank you instead. You're lucky that Edward is our big brother figure who isn't afraid of the tough love. But, even when he's angry at someone on the team, once he's had his say, it's done with."

Beast Boy nodded, "That's true. I remember when you and Raven almost got into it for real. He was pretty ticked at the situation. But, he had a point, my love. He was protecting you from an angry Raven. And, honey, when Raven does lose control like that…well, Dr. Light took a trip that he hasn't forgotten. Why do you think he's afraid of her? When she released him, he was badly traumatized mentally. We had to actually put him in the mental ward before he went to jail. All she had to do is mimic that and he tends to surrender."

Terra sighed, "I know. Edward treats me almost like his daughter at times, his sister at other times, but, always as a friend first. I really didn't mean to kick Raven there, but, I'm glad he intervened. But, I feel bad for the verbal cheap shot as well."

"Let that go, Tara," Beast Boy said, "They forgave you, right? Edward said what he needed to and, didn't he pull you into one of his hugs afterwards? That's his way of saying, 'I don't like what happened, but, I forgive you regardless,' or, 'Stuff happens.'"

Terra sighed as her eyelids drooped and a few moments later, she was fast asleep.

Beast Boy also went to sleep, as did the rest of the folks in the Tower.

* * *

_Hi, everyone,_

_No, I haven't forgotten this one. I figured an interlude chapter was needed, mainly to give me some breathing space. Chapter 6 might skip ahead a little while I am pondering the next phase in Terra's past._

_Speaking of Terra...It is **100% confirmed** that she is in the new Teen Titans GO cartoon. Tara Strong recently discovered the thrill of Twitter Vine and posted a Vine with Greg Cipes ("I like...uh...to eat"), Khary Payton ("Booya"), Hynden Walch ("No more with the filming") and Ashley Johnson (started to say "Terra") in character. Sadly, I can't put the link in here, but, I'll kick it to my profile instead._

_"Tiny Titans" will be updated next, methinks, then, some time with the Honeymoon story._

_TTFN!_


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